In short: much improved and nearly as good as Great North Run In full: I really liked the straight finish and the flat course .My 14th half and I only missed a PB by 5 secs . Some parts were narrow and the runners using headphones were difficult to pass. I like to use headphones on a training run but need to be aware of the other runners in a race. one poor man whacked into a bollard on the first turn. we wandered around at the end looking for the chip bins so a bigger sign would be useful.start much improved but still some very slow joggers at the 1.30 gate.Could give clearer instructions to beginners at the start ?